I Have Only Just Begun Walking the Right Path of Life | Eastern Lightning

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I Have Only Just Begun Walking the Right Path of Life

Shi Han    Hebei Province

I was born to a poor peasant family. I have been sensible since childhood, in that I never fought with other kids and obeyed my parents, which made me a typical “good girl” in the eyes of adults. Other parents were all very envious of my parents, saying that they were lucky to have such a good daughter. And just like this, I grew up every day listening to compliments from the people around me.

The Riches of Life | Eastern Lightning

Wang Jun   
Shandong Province

The Riches of Life | Eastern Lightning

Over the years since accepting the work of Almighty God in the last days, my wife and I have undergone this together under the oppression of the great red dragon. During this time, although I have had weaknesses, pain, and tears, I feel that I have gained a great deal from experiencing this oppression. These bitter experiences have not only made me clearly see the reactionary, evil nature and the ugly countenance of the great red dragon, but I have also recognized my own corrupt essence. It has also allowed me to experience God’s almightiness and wisdom. I have truly experienced and recognized the actual significance of God utilizing the great red dragon as a foil, from which my confidence in following God has become firmer and firmer.

An Arrogant Believer’s Process of Transformation | Eastern Lightning

An Arrogant Believer’s Process of Transformation

Zhang Yitao    Henan Province

“God, Your work is so practical, so full of righteousness and holiness. You have been patiently working for so long, all for us. In the past, I believed in God but I didn’t have a human manner. I disobeyed You and hurt Your heart without knowing. I am full of shame and regret and am indebted to You. Only now do I realize this. … Without Your harsh judgment, I wouldn’t have today, and facing Your genuine love I am grateful and indebted to You. It was Your work that saved me and caused my disposition to change. Without sorrow and pain, my heart is full of happiness” (“Oh God, the Love You Have Given Me Is Too Great” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). Every time I sing this song, I think of God’s salvation for me through all these years, and I am full of gratitude for Him. It was God’s judgment and chastisement that changed me. It made me—an arrogant, ambitious, rebellious son—appear a bit more like a human being. I sincerely give thanks for God’s salvation of me!

The Experience of Practicing the Truth | Eastern Lightning

Hengxin    Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province

Not too long ago, I heard “Sermons and Fellowship On Entry Into Life,” which led me to understand that only those who practice the truth can obtain the truth and ultimately become ones who possess the truth and humanity thus attaining God’s approval. From then on, I made a conscious effort to forsake my flesh and practice the truth in my daily life. Some time later, I happily discovered that I could practice some truth. For example, in the past I was afraid to show my darker side to others. Now I was consciously open with brothers and sisters, dissecting my corrupt disposition. Before, when I was pruned and dealt with, I would make excuses and shirk responsibility. Now I made a conscious effort to repudiate myself instead of trying to justify my bad behavior. In the past, when I experienced friction with my working partners, I was narrow-minded, petty and prone to sulking. Now when I encountered those situations I would forsake my flesh and exercise tolerance and patience with others. … Every time I thought of my progress in practicing the truth, I would feel extremely happy. I thought that my ability to practice some truth meant that I was a genuine practitioner of the truth. In this way, I unknowingly became haughty and self-congratulatory.

Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man | Eastern Lightning

Xunqiu   
Nanyang City, Henan Province

I used to think that God judged and chastised man only when He revealed man’s inherent corruption or conveyed harsh words that judged the end of man. It was only much later that an incidence led me to realize that even God’s gentle words were also His judgment and chastisement. I realized that every word God said was His judgment of man.

Judgment Is Light | Eastern Lightning

Judgment Is Light

Zhao Xia    Shandong Province

My name is Zhao Xia. I was born to an ordinary family. Due to the influence of dictums like “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” and “As a tree lives for its bark, a man lives for his face,” reputation and face became particularly important to me.

What Is the Nature of God’s Love? | Eastern Lightning

Siqiu 
Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province

Whenever I see the following passage of God’s word, “If you’ve always been very loyal and loving toward Me, yet you suffer the torment of illness, the constraints of life, and the abandonment of your friends and relatives or endure any other misfortunes in life, then will your loyalty and love for Me still continue?” (“A Very Serious Problem: Betrayal (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I feel particularly unhappy—a sense of misery creeps up within me and my heart speaks its voiceless grievance: Dear God, how can You allow those that are loyal to You and love You to meet with such misfortune? As a result, I’ve had a hard time understanding the meaning of the man used by the Holy Spirit who said, “God’s last demand of man is loving and sincere.”